Good ideas, but better planning needed

The Office of the Prime Minister announced the advent of Internet protocol television to deliver on-demand educational content to 50 schools and 10 through free-to-air television.

This move speaks volumes of what we want to achieve within our education system and in keeping with Vision 2030. However, the recent information coming out of the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) study says a lot about Jamaica's educational status quo.

While welcoming the move of the digital platform to deliver education, the results of the NEI study are cause for concern. The resounding question now is whether we have the foundation to facilitate the use of IPT TV in our education system.

It is arguable that this introduction will not be across the entire education system initially, and the move might be aimed at testing how doable and beneficial it will be in classrooms. It is also arguable that there are teachers who have been trained to facilitate the move.

breed progress

However, the education system has six regions, and if two of the six are performing at a mediocre level, it is a reflection on the whole system.

There is no doubt that this introduction will breed progress for us as Jamaicans, but I am sure that there needs to be some problem-solving before implementation. Let us address the weaknesses that are present before we venture on the revolution. If we don't, it will be like putting a fresh bandage on a sore without proper sanitisation first.

We do have teachers and principals who don't serve a purpose in the system; there is no passion for what they do, so the results, at the end of the day, will show just that. We have some students, too, who need to pull up their socks and understand the value of what is being given to them.

We are living in a digital age, and as a country that has formulated Vision 2030, the use of IP TV in schools is a great step. As a nation, we will have to put things in place to facilitate this paradigm shift.